Chicken Enchiladas

I made these chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight, along with some homemade refried beans, and they were a huge hit! I got the original recipe from my mother-in-law(not sure where she got it). These are really fresh tasting and not-your-average super heavy enchiladas. The hubby said maybe the best enchiladas he has ever had! :) There are quite a few steps, but its not a hard recipe. And here it is:

1. Mix together cooked shredded chicken, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, green chiles, and cilantro.

2. Fill each tortilla evenly with chicken mixture and roll up.

3. Place seam side down into lightly greased pan. Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 40 min.

4. In a bowl mix together salsa and sour cream. Pout over top of enchiladas straight out of the oven.

Chicken Enchiladas

4 servings

2.5 c. cooked shredded chicken (I boiled 4 breast cutlets in water/chick broth)
1.5 c. mexican blend shredded cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1-2 TBSP light cream cheese
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro (or more to your liking)
7-8 flour tortillas (I used medium sized whole wheat)
2/3 c. sour cream
2/3 c. salsa (I used mild, but if you like it spicy go for med. or hot)
Toppings: diced tomatoes, diced avocados, chopped green onions, cilantro

In a large bowl, stir together first 6 ingredients. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down center of each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down, side-by-side, into the pan. Coat tops of tortillas with cooking spray and cover with foil. If you were making ahead of time, you would stop at this point and keep in the fridge until ready to bake. Bake at 350 for 40 min, taking off foil half-way through. While it is baking stir together remaining sour cream and salsa. Pour over cooked enchiladas when they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with toppings of your choice.

Mom's Toffee Bars

My grandmother, whom we call "Mom", gave me this recipe. Even though Mom is now in a nursing home and doesn't cook, she is one of the best cooks I have ever known. We use to go to her house every Sunday after church for a family feast. I have so many fond memories of being at my grandparents' house and of all the wonderful smells coming from Mom's kitchen. Mom has given me her collection of recipes which I truly cherish having. I'm not sure the origin, but these little bars are so so easy and absolutely delicious! Even my husband, who doesn't like nuts, devours them! Hope you enjoy!

1. All you need is these 4 ingredients: butter, brown sugar, pecans, and graham crackers.

2. Lay the graham crackers on a foil-lined cookie sheet. I had two different kinds of graham crackers, HoneyMaid low-fat and Mi-del whole wheat grahams. I wanted to try this recipe with the ww grahams in hopes of making these not quite so bad.

3. In a pan melt butter and brown sugar, stirring frequently.

4. Meanwhile, finely chop your pecans.

 5. Once the butter/sugar mixture begins to simmer, add the chopped pecans. Take off heat.

6. Using a spoon, scoop a little of the mixture onto each graham cracker. Pop in 250 deg. oven for 12 minutes.

7. Once out of the oven, the mixture will look more caramelized. Let bars cool completely for topping to set.

Toffee Bars

8-10 honey graham crackers (or approx. 20 whole wheat grahams)

6 TBSP butter

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay graham crackers, side-by-side. In a pan, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring frequently. While butter is melting, finely chop your pecans. Once butter/sugar mixture starts to simmer, add pecans and remove from heat. Spoon the toffee mixture onto the graham crackers. Bake at 250 for 12 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

P.S.The whole wheat ones are just as fantastic as the regular! 

Creamy Spaghetti

 This spaghetti is like no other. It is almost a spaghetti casserole. Its really creamy and cheesy and oh so good! The original recipe came from my mother-in-law, and now this is my go-to spaghetti recipe. I love how easy it is to make it diet-friendly. You can sub lean ground turkey, whole wheat noodles, and low sodium cream of mushroom. You could even sneak in some finely diced veggies. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1. In a large pot, boil your noodles. We like these whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles. We like our spaghetti meaty, so I only use about half a box.

2. While your pasta is cooking, brown your meat then drain. I usually use organic extra lean ground beef, but sometimes I use lean ground turkey.

 3. Puree diced tomatoes in a blender and add it, along with the cream of mushroom soup and ketchup, into the pan.

4. Toss the meat back in the pan and stir.

5. Put noodles and meat sauce in a casserole dish, and chop up the noddles a little bit. Add a cup of whatever cheese you like(I used half mozzarella half cheddar) and stir. Put the lid on and bake at 300 for about 45 min until hot and bubbly.

Creamy Spaghetti

1/2-1 box spaghetti noodles(depending on how meaty you want your spaghetti)
1 lb. very lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes (I like the italian seasoned ones)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I always used Campbell's Healthy Request for less sodium and fat)
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 tsp. salt (I always use sea salt)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder or flakes
1/4 tsp. italian seasoning
1 c. cheese (use whatever you have on hand. I've used mozzarella, cheddar, and mexican blend before and they are all delicious)

Boil noodles in a pot of boiling water, then drain. While noodles are boiling, brown the meat and then drain. Blend the can of diced tomatoes(do not drain) in a blender or immersion blender. Add tomatoes, cream of mushroom, and ketchup to the pan you browned your meat in. Stir in seasonings, and then add the meat back into the pan. Stir. Next combine the noodles into the meat mixture. You can do this in a pot, large saucepan with lid, or a casserole dish. Today I used a casserole dish. I put the noodles in first and chopped them a bit. I then added the meat mixture and cheese and gave it a stir. Put the top on the dish and put it in a 300 deg. oven for 45 min until it gets hot and bubbly. If you do it in a pot, put the lid on and simmer on low for 45 min, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle each serving with a little parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Skillet Cornbread

And what better to go with some hot chicken noodle soup? Some fresh-out-of-the-oven cornbread! We love eating it smothered in butter and honey. Yum! Here is how I made it:

1. Put butter in skillet and put in 400 deg. oven.

2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a separate, smaller bowl mix wet ingredients.

4. Pour batter into buttery skillet and lightly stir. Bake 25 min. at 400.

Enjoy!

Skillet Cornbread

2 TBSP butter
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
2 TBSP honey

Preheat oven to 400. Put butter in skillet and put in oven to melt. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix next 6 ingredients. In a small bowl mix wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until moistened. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy. Take skillet out of the oven-butter should be completely melted and bubbly. Pour batter into buttery skillet and gently stir to get the butter incorporated a little. Put back in oven and bake 25 min or until nice and golden. Let cool a little before cutting.

CrockPot Chicken Noodle Soup

I've had a cold, so chicken noodle soup seemed to be the perfect fix. I had never made chicken noodle soup before, so I called up my mom to see how she makes it. I put my usual spin on her's and this is what I came up with! It's very thick-almost like a stew. If you prefer a more broth-y soup, then use more chicken broth. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

1 can cream of chicken soup (we use Campbell's Healthy Request for lower sodium and fat)
3 c. chicken broth (we use 33% less sodium)
1 pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
1 c. frozen mixed peas/carrots
1/2 chopped onion
2 ribs chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1-1.5 tsp. salt (we use sea salt for everything)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
dash of thyme
1/2 rotisserie chicken shredded (white and dark meat)
couple handfuls of egg noodles (about 1.5 cups)


In the crockpot pour cream of chicken soup, broth, veggies, and seasonings. Cook on high-2hrs or low-4hrs. (These work best with my crockpot. Your's may need less or more time). Next add shredded chicken and noodles. Cook for another hour. I'm sure you could put all ingredients except for noodles in the pot and cook on low for 5 or 6 hours, and then add the noodles at the last 30 min. This is just the way I decided to do it, since the chicken was already cooked. 

Beginner Blogger

I've contemplated starting a food blog for a while now. Tanner and I have been discussing how we each need to find a hobby. As I sat on the couch the other night, searching Pinterest, I thought, "Why couldn't I start a food blog?". So as I pondered the how's and why's, I decided I would give it a go! I have a passion for cooking and food. I spend hours each week meal planning, looking up recipes, and preparing meals for me and Tanner. So my goal for this blog is to share my recipes with you. Now, I am no chef. I have not created these recipes from scratch. I take recipes from cook books, online sources, and family recipes, and I tweak them to make them my own-usually healthier than the original. I hope that you will do the same with my recipes. I am doing this blog for me, because I think it would be fun. I also think I have a lot of great recipes that other people would love too! I hope you enjoy trying some of my Delicious Dishes!